Dak Prescott or Tony Romo: Dallas Cowboys have a QB controversy

The Dallas Cowboys are 5-1 behind Dak Prescott and fans are riding high with their new rookie phenom. But before everyone goes anointing Prescott as the second coming of John Elway, let’s take a step back and examine the situation.

You can make the argument that all four of these quarterbacks are pretty similar.

QB A is Brock Osweiler’s 2015 season with the Denver Broncos. He parlayed a decent stretch of play into a $72 million deal with the Houston Texans and now looks like he belongs on a JV squad. Nice use of your cap space, Houston. What’s next, a heavy investment in MySpace’s comeback?

Quarterback B is Los Angeles Rams’ starter Case Keenum this year. While he’s managed average play, he still has more total turnovers than scores and is no one’s idea of a long-term option. The moment No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff is ready to play, Keenum is going to be picking splinters out of his ass from riding the bench.

Quarterback C is Robert Griffin III’s rookie year and, well, we all know how that turned out.

Quarterback D is Dallas Cowboys rookie Dak Prescott.

My point is that we’ve seen flash-in-the-pan quarterbacks before; guys who have been pleasant surprises at first, only to lose their mojo once opposing coaches properly game plan for them.

Yes, Prescott has been incredibly impressive for the Cowboys this season and he very well could be the real deal. But Cowboys Nation is filled with a bunch of fools if they truly believe he should start over Tony Romo once the latter returns from injury.

Prescott has the Cowboys well positioned for a post-season run, but the playoffs have not been kind to rookie passers over the years. Since the merger, rookie signal-callers are just 7-11 in the post-season with a staggering 15-42 touchdown-to-turnover ratio in those games. Only three of those rookie passers managed to top 200 yards.

After years of ineptitude behind Romo, Cowboys fans have every right to be excited about Prescott and the future. But it’s important to remember that he’s not winning all alone. Prescott has the luxury of playing behind the NFL’s best offensive line, handing it off to one of the NFL’s leading rushers in Ezekiel Elliott and getting support from an overachieving defense that ranks sixth in points per game (17.8).

The simple fact is that Romo gives them a better chance to win when it really matters. Despite his reputation, Romo has actually been much more effective in the post-season than you’d think.

In six career playoff games, he’s completing 60% of his passes and has thrown 8TDs against just two interceptions. It’s also worth noting that he made major strides from his first playoff appearance in 2006 to his most recent in 2014 (and this is coming from a Redskins fan!). In his most recent two playoff games, Romo completed 68% of his passes while totaling 484 yards with four scores against zero picks.

Prescott looks like the future, but Jerry Jones and the rest of the Dallas franchise have to be more concerned with the present.

Romo is the savvy veteran who has already learned how to win football games. He gives the Cowboys the best chance at success in the post-season.